I'd Rather Not Talk About It
by RayBansandSkittles
Summary: The three times Jim and Aelita spent the holidays together and the one time he adopted her.
1. Thanksgiving

**A/N: Thanks to brezifus on tumblr for letting me use their idea.**

I'd Rather Not Talk About It Chapter 1: Thanksgiving

Aelita was sitting criss cross on her dorm bed watching her computer. The rest of the school was empty, being that it was Thanksgiving. She'd planned to eat Nutella out the jar and binge watch her favorite show on her laptop in the peace and quiet.

"Stones!"

Jumping and grabbing her heart, the pinkette turned around and saw their resident gym teacher in the door with a clipboard in his right hand.

"Jim? What are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same thing, young lady. I'm checking all the dorms before I leave and you're the only one here."

Not seeing the problem, she shrugged looking down.

"Why aren't you with your family?"

"I'd rather not talk about it." She shrugged again twirling her spoon in the jar of Nutella still in her hands.

"Well where are your delinquent friends?"

Her lip quirked up a little but she couldn't bring herself to smile all the way. "They're all with their families and I didn't want to impose."

They all had practically begged her to come home with one of them so she wouldn't be alone, but she felt like that would be too much. They all had skipped enough holidays with their families on account of her, so there was no way she could impose herself on their first vacation since X.A.N.A was shut down.

"I could probably lose my job for this, but get dressed." He commanded scratching his jaw and looking at the floor.

"What, why?" She asked glancing down at her fluffy pink pajamas curiously before looking back at her teacher.

"It's Thanksgiving. I'm not going to let you spend it here all alone. So get dressed." He explained gruffly before turning and closing the door to give her some privacy.

Feeling a small smile spread across her face she got up and found some clothes. She pulled on a white v-neck, plain black jeans, and her favorite pink Toms. Pink was still very much her favorite color but she didn't feel the need to dress head to toe in it anymore.

"Jim, you don't have to do this. I don't want to impose on you and your family." She said wringing her hands as they walked down the hall together towards the exit.

"I don't have any family." The older man responded wistfully as he led them down the street. "And I'd rather not talk about it."

The pinkette felt a sad pang hit her heart at his response. She all too well could relate to that lonely pain that he must feel. Not replying she linked her arm through his hoping he could feel the small comfort she was offering up.

"After you." He gestured opening the door to a diner not too far from Kadic.

"I've never been here before." Aelita said as she appraised the restaurant and liked what she saw. It was very quaint and homey.

"I come here pretty often." Jim replied motioning to a booth. "The food here is amazing."

Sitting across from each other they studied the menu in a comfortable silence.

"Well hello Jim." The waitress greeted him smiling brightly. She was very beautiful Aelita noticed. She had long dark hair and had the right amount of curves.

"Hi Diana." The teacher smiled back just as bright.

"What can I get you?" She asked after they locked eyes for a second.

Jim pointed to the menu pointing out his order before motioning for Aelita to take her turn.

"And who is this?" Diana smiled at Aelita in a motherly way that make her heart ache in a good way.

"This is Aelita, she's one of my favorite students." The pinkette blushed bashfully at his words and warm smile, not knowing that he had ever felt that way.

"I'll just have a number one please with a lemonade."

"Sure, thing darling. I'll be back soon with your drinks."

"Since when am I one of your favorite students?" Aelita asked smiling once the waitress left.

"You and the rest of the Breakfast Club have always been my favorites. That's why I'm always paying so much attention to you. You don't see me chasing after Sissy and the two stooges do you?" Jim answered playing with the salt and pepper shakers.

"I guess not." The pinkette said between laughs.

Her simple joyful laugh tugged on his heartstrings.

"Besides when have you ever known me to bring the rest of the student body here?"

Smiling at his statement, she looked up and saw Dianna coming with their drinks.

"Anything else I can get you?" She asked the newly formed duo.

"No thanks, Di. This is great." The older man replied smiling fondly at her.

"You like her." Aelita laughed once the waitress had left.

"Excuse me? I don't." Jim argued leaning back and crossing his arms across his chest.

"Yes, you do. You're being all smiley and the lingering eye contact, it's killing me!" The pinkette swooned placing her hand on her heart and sighed. "You two are as obvious as Yumi and Ulrich!"

"You really think she likes me?" Jim whispered as a blush creeped up at his neck. He was embarrassed to be asking a sixteen year old for romance advice, and the fact that she was his student and could tell everybody was even worse!

"Oh I know so. Around school they call me the love guru. So trust me, love is my thing."

Jim threw his head back and laughed heartily at her statement. His joyful laughter was contagious and pretty soon she was doubled over laughing too. Neither of them could quite remember the last time they'd laughed like that. Laughed in a way that made you forget everything else in the world. The type of laugh that made your stomach hurt and made you glad to be alive.

"Hey, you two. Chow time." Dianna interrupted sheepishly as she placed their food on the table. Aelita had just ordered the soup, while it seemed Jim had ordered the whole menu. He had turkey, mashed potatoes, mac and cheese, green beans, ham, stuffing, and lots of gravy.

"That's all you ordered?" Jim asked the pinkette looking between his food and hers.

"Yeah, I'm fine." She shrugged trying not to make it a big deal. She had truthfully wanted more, but didn't have that much money.

"Dianna, bring me another plate please."

"Wait, Jim, no it's okay." The student tried to argue but Dianna had already left and came back with one before leaving to tend to the other customers.

Ignoring her protests he took a clean fork and took half of his food and pushed it on hers.

"I think my eyes were bigger than my stomach, I don't think I can eat it all." He smiled sheepishly as he slid her new plate to her. "Now come on."

Looking up from the plate she saw Jim had both his hands on the table palm up waiting for something. Tilting her head to the side curiously she wasn't sure what to do.

"Grab my hands, we're going to pray." Leaning forward she placed her hands in his and bowed her head like his as he prayed. "Thank you Lord for this day, for our health, this food, and Aelita. Amen."

He gave her hands a gentle squeeze before picking up his fork and digging in. Aelita took a moment and blinked back the tears in her eyes. She had never had had anyone pray with her, much less thanking God for her.

"Stones, you heard Dianna, chow time. You could stand to pack on a few pounds."

Laughing she picked up her fork and started eating. "What are you trying to say?"

"That if a gust of wind came by, it'd blow you over." He joked kind heartedly.

After they were done eating, they stood as Jim threw a couple of bills down on the table.

"You didn't have to pay for me, Jim." Aelita protested digging in her pocket.

"It's Thanksgiving." He answered simply.

"Well thank you." She smiled feeling her heart swell with gratitude.

They turned to the exit but was stopped by Dianna.

"You two can't go before taking a picture." Hip jutted out she leaned on the counter with an old time camera in her hand. "I won't allow it."

Giving in the unlikely duo went and stood under a thanksgiving banner.

"Say, turkey!"

The two laughed and did as she asked.

"Perfect!" The dark haired woman smiled studying the picture before giving it to Jim.

The older man smiled making him look a couple of years younger. "Here." He said giving Aelita the picture.

"No, I can't."

"You say no an awful lot to me, young lady. I'm still your teacher and I demand you take it." He jokingly scolded her putting the picture in her hands. "I want you to have it."

This time letting the tears out, she wrapped her hands tightly around her gym teacher's neck. "Thank you. This is the best Thanksgiving I've ever had."

"Me too." He said softly hugging her back tightly. "Me too."


	2. Christmas

I'd Rather Not Talk About It: Christmas

Shuffling back and forth outside of the dorm in sweatpants and pink Uggs, a certain pinkette couldn't seem to work up the nerve to knock on the door.

"You can do this Aelita. I mean what's the worse that could happen? He says no and tells the whole school... That's what could happen." The teenage girl muttered to herself trying to work up the courage to do what she had been planning since November. "He is a nice person, I won't have to worry about that."

Stopping in her tracks, the pinkette decided to be brave. Afterall she defeated monsters and saved the world more times than she could count. She could handle this. It was a just a simple question.

Squaring her shoulders as if she was about to go to war and taking a deep breath through her nose, she raised her fist and finally knocked on the door. Something she had been trying to work up the courage to do for over twenty minutes.

The door opened to reveal a yawning older man in his usual red sweatsuit and headband. "Stones? What are you doing here? I thought you were spending Christmas with Ishiyama?"

Swallowing the shorter girl gathered her thoughts before answering, "I was, but I backed out at the last minute. Jim, I was thinking, no hoping, that I could spend the holidays here with you."

Digging her toe into the ground Aelita waited impatiently for her gym teacher to give his answer.

"Why would you want to spend your Christmas here with me instead of with your best friend Aelita?" Jim asked not with malice but with curiosity.

"I love Yumi. I love all of my friends. And I really, really like spending time with them. But the holidays are hard for me and they don't understand that because they have their families. Which is great and amazing. But I sometimes like spending time with someone where if I say, 'I'd rather not talk about it', then thats enough."

Her older, father like figure just stood there for a few seconds trying to process what he was hearing. Not able to find words to express what he was feeling in his heart, he decided actions would be better. Reaching out he wrapped his arms around the slim girl and brought her close to his chest.

"'I'd rather not talk about it', will always be enough for me Aelita." He said quietly before ushering her inside his living quarters.

Since Jim was technically a teacher, he had a bigger dorm than the students, more like a studio. He had a a smalll living room with a TV, his own bathroom, and a bedroom off to the corner. It wasn't a lot but it felt homey to Aelita. Like what she imagined visiting her favorite uncle's house would feel like.

"Have a seat, I have to get something."

Nodding, the pinkette removed her snow boots before having a seat on the loveseat in the corner.

Jim came back a few seconds later with a wrapped gift in his hands. The pinkette stared up at the older man curiously without saying anything.

"I may have been hoping that you changed your mind about going with the Ishiyamas." He replied rubbing the back of his neck in a sheepish way. "It's not a lot, but in case you stayed I wanted you to have something to open."

"You, I.." Not able to form words, she just reached out and accepted the gift.

Excitedly, but carefully she unwrapped the gift. In the box were two things she'd only seen but never used.

"You got me a pink taser and pepper spray, Jim?"

"Well, yeah." He laughed feeling the tension leave his body since she didn't seem to hate the gifts. "I don't know what you guys sneak out every night to do."

Whipping her head up she stared slack jawed that he knew they left campus every night, but didn't bust them.

"Yes, I know little one." He laughed joyfully almost in a fatherly way. "And I know that you and your rag tag team aren't bad kids. So whatever you guys are going off to do must be really important to risk getting into so much trouble. But no matter what you do, I want you to be safe Stones. I want to be able to sleep at night knowing that wherever you are, you'll be protected."

"Awww Jim!" Smiling graatefully Aelita stood up and wrapped Jim in a hug. "Thank you so much. It's nice to know that somebody in the world cares about me."

"You're welcome." He smiled until he replayed what she'd said back in his head. "But I'm not the only one that cares about you. Your friends do."

"I know they do. But sometimes I think they feel obligated to care for me." She explained vaguely."You don't have to care for me, you don't have to worry about me or my safety outside of being my teacher. But you do and that's extraordinary. Something I'd rather talk about."

Aelita's phone beeped interrupting the moment. "I also may have gotten you a gift.

"What is it?"

Not answering the pinkette stood up and opened the dorm door. In the doorway was Dianna, Jim's well know crush.

"Hi Jim." The dark haired woman smiled waving.

"Hi Dianna." The gym teacher responded nervously. "What brings you here?"

"Aelita mentioned to me that we would both be spending Christmas alone. She casually suggested that we could maybe go out to dinner together? Like a date. She insisted on her though." The waitress replied.

"Ohh did she now?" Jim answered smilingy brightly.

"Yep. You have quite the daughter Jim."

Aelita and Jim shared a look before trying to explain the situation.

"Ohh you two aren't father and daughter? Could've fooled me." Dianna smiled cheekily planting an idea in Jim's head.

"I will go out tonight only if you join us Aelita. You may not be my daughter but you're somebody I'd rather not talk about, but to. I hope that's alright Dianna?"

"Oh I wouldn't have it any other way." She laughed leaning against the doorway. "Grab your coat kiddo and let's be outty."

Smiling the pinkette followed behind the two. The joy she felt on this Christmas was something she would definitely rather talk about.


End file.
